Friday, October 2, 2015

Does anybody know who Ana Belén Montes is?

The pain caused by prison is the hardest one, the most devastating one, the one that kills your intelligence and dries out your soul, leaving scars imprinted in it, which will just never go away’.

José Martí

Does anybody know who Ana Belen Montes is? A question frequently asked by friends of the mate kidnapped by the USA.

Born in Eastern Germany on February 28th, 1957, a Puerto-Rican holding an America citizenship and public officer GS-14, working for the DIA was prosecuted and condemned as a spy because of informing the Cuban government about aggression plans to be directed against the Cuban people, something which didn’t affect her country’s national security neither put any innocent lives in danger.

In 1979, as she was 22 years old, the University of Virginia granted her a bachelor’s Degree in International Relations. Later on, she acquired a Master’s Degree in this speciality. In 1985 she was hired by the DIA. Due to her capabilities, she was sent to the Air Force Base in Bolling, Washington, where she worked as a specialist in intelligence investigation. In 1992 was promoted to the Pentagon as an analyst.

Using a fake position, she was located for a while in the diplomatic representation in La Habana in order to ‘study‘ the Cuban military. In 1998 she was sent again by the DIA to the island to observe the development of Pope John Paul II visit to the island.

Besides having a sweet face, an eternal smile and very good manners, she was very modest. While living alone in a simple apartment on the north side of the American capital. She climbed up until she became first level analysis at the Pentagon, Senior Analyst. She rapidly was granted access to almost everything known to the intelligence community related to the Island. Due to her position, she belonged to a super secret ‘inter-agencies work group on Cuba’, gathering all most important analysts in federal agencies, such as the CIA, the White House itself and the State Department.

She was arrested by agents of the FBI on November 20th, 2001, while being in her office at the DIA headquarters in the Bolling Air Base in Washington DC. Some days later she was accused of conspiracy to commit espionage in favour of Cuba. She was brought to court and at some point in time was sent to a federal prison specialized in criminal with mental or physical illness, this was done although she was not ill in any way.

During trial she transparently and bravely declared to have followed her consciousness: ‘There is a Italian say which best describes what I believe: ‘the entire world is one country. In this ‘global country’ the principle of loving others like loving one-selves is an essential guide in order to have harmonious relationships with our neighbour countries’.

‘This principle means tolerance and understanding for different ways of acting of other people. It establishes that we treat other nations in the way we wish to be treated, with respect and consideration. This is a principle that, in my understanding, we have never applied towards Cuba.

‘Your Honour, I became involved in the activities that brought me here in front of you because I followed my consciousness more than obey the law. I find that our government’s politic towards Cuba is cruel and unfair, profoundly unfriendly, therefore I considered myself morally obliged to help the Island to defend itself from our efforts of imposing our values and political system on them.

‘We have shown intolerance and rejection to Cuba during for decades. We have never respected Cuba’s right to decide their own destiny, its own ideals of justice and equality. I do not understand how we keep on trying to dictate …how Cuba is supposed to choose its leaders, or not, and which are the most appropriate laws for this nation. Why we cannot let them choose the way they prefer to conduct their internal businesses, the way USA has been doing for more that two centuries now?

‘My biggest desire would be now to see a friendly relationship emerge between the USA and Cuba. I do hope that my case, in some manner, stimulates our government to give up hostility against Cuba and could work together with Havana, in a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding.

‘Today we see, more than ever, that intolerance and hatred –towards individuals or governments- only spreads pain and sorrow. I do hope that the USA can develop a Cuban politic based on appreciation to a neighbour, recognizing that Cuba, just like any other nation expects to be treated with dignity, not rejection.’

She is currently imprisoned in the Federal Medical Center, Carswell, within the military headquarters at the Air Base of the USA Navy, Fort Worth, Texas. She is confined in the psychiatry area, although she is free from any illness of this kind. This place is evidently extremely dangerous because there are indeed people within who are actually ill and this can have an serious impact on her mental state.

Ana is nowadays imprisoned with some of the most dangerous women in the USA, where she has had neighbours such as the housewife who strangulated a pregnant woman to steal her baby, also a nurse who killed four of her patients with massive adrenaline injections, and last but not least, Lynette Fromme, The Noisy, a follower of Charles Manson who tried to assassinate former President Gerald Ford.

She is kept under extreme isolation:

She’s not allowed to receive any visits other than her father and brother

She‘ not allowed to use a telephone

She’s not allowed to read any newspapers or magazines, neither watch TV

She’s not allowed to receive any post

Nobody is allowed to search about her health or the reason why she’s being kept in a psychiatric institution although she is not ill

She’s not allowed to have contact to any other residents in the institution

Letters directed to her are returned using certificate mail

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has informed she is allowed to have contact only with close family members, because accused of espionage

Ana Belen Montes is due to recover her freedom in 2027, 12 years from now. She’s been in prison already for 13 years now.

She never received any money from the Cubans, she was never enrolled through any sordid blackmail tactic. She did not act upon vengeance of desire to obtain power in any way. Perfectly knowing the risks she was taking, she faced them following profound love to justice and sincere solidarity towards Cuba.

Therefore, she deserves the greatest respect from all who love Martí’s homeland.

HELP SPREADING THIS MESSAGE ABOUT OUR FRIEND ANA BELEN MONTES

Also be aware that throughout the world many committee are being raised in order to support a fair treatment as well as liberation of this friend, who defies the vengeance of the empire in such a dignifying manner, without giving up her love to Cuba and humanity in general.